Mary Jane Braden (1842-1904) and her husband, Henry Spring (1840-1901)

Now that the holidays have passed and life is starting to return to normal, I hope to get back to writing regular blog posts again.  So here is my first one for the new year.

Mary Jane Braden

Mary Jane Braden was born 31 March 1842 on the family farm near Jefferson, Clinton Co., Indiana, to Burr and Mary (Jenners) Braden.   She is found with the Braden family on the 1850 census in the Town of Jefferson and is listed as 8 years old, born in Indiana, and as having attended school that year.  She is found with the family again on the 1860 Clinton Co. census and was 18 years old.

She was 19 years old when her father, Burr, died, on 6 December 1861.  Her mother, Mary, died when Mary Jane was 21, on 5 September 1863.

A little more than a year later, on 27 December 1864, Mary Jane married Henry Spring in Clinton Co., Indiana.

Henry Spring was born about 1840 in Indiana.  His father was Elijah Spring (c1814-1845), the first husband of Drusella Brown who married Alba Jenners on 24 January 1847.  So Mary Jane's uncle (her mother's brother) Alba was her husband's step-father.  Henry is found on the 1850 census with his mother and step-father in Tippecanoe Co., Indiana.  His last name is listed incorrectly as Jenners, but he was 10 years old and born in Indiana.   The 1860 census lists Henry as 20 years old, a clerk, boarding with William S. Crane, in Lafayette, Indiana.

Mary Jane and Henry's first child was Elizabeth D. Spring, who was born 27 January 1866, probably in Lafayette, Indiana.  Her nickname was "Lizzie."

The 1870 census of Lafayette, Indiana shows the family as Henry Spring, age 30, a grocer, born in Indiana; Mary Spring, his wife, 28, keeping house, born in Indiana; and Elizabeth Spring, their daughter, age 4, born in Indiana.  There was also a domestic servant living with them.

On 20 April 1871, their daughter, Annie Braden Spring, was born, probably in Lafayette.    A son, Robert Burr Spring, was born 12 January 1876.

By the 1880 census of Lafayette, the family consisted of Henry Spring, 40, married, grocer; Mary, 37, his wife, keeping house; Lizzie, daughter, 14, at school; Annie, daughter, 9, at school; and Robert, son, 4, at home.  There was also a domestic servant.

On 30 July 1883, their daughter, Mary Virginia Spring, was born in Lafayette.

On 3 August 1886, their daughter, Lizzie, married Henry T. Anderson in Lafayette, Indiana.

Elizabeth D. "Lizzie" (Spring) Anderson

Henry T. Anderson

On 18 January 1891, Mary Jane wrote the following letter to her brother, William.  The envelope was addressed to Mr & Mrs Wm M. Braden, Frankfort, Indiana and postmarked at Lafayette, Ind. Jan 19, '91 [1891]  9:30 AM.  The letter follows:

"Sunday Jan the 18 [1891]

My Dear Brother -
I am ashamed not to have written to thank you for the beef it is so nice and tender  I was feeling so bad that week and was in bed most of last week and am not well enough to do any thing  I think it is a second attack of LaGrippe at heart it feels more like it than any thing else.  Mr Anderson has not been well enough to work for several weeks but is better now he and  Lizzie have been home for the last [undecipherable word] weeks.  I don't know how Annie could have done without her since have been sick but I am in hope I will soon be myself.  Papa is trying a new remedy is wearing an Electric ring on his third finger on the left hand  the gentleman who wanted him to try it said no cure no pay.  I think it helps him although he has not worn it for a week yet but he says he is not so sure.  I do hope it will.  All send their thanks to you hoping to see you all soon.  love to all from all here as ever your sister 
                             Mary Spring

P.S.  Aunt Annie has been very poorly but is much better now.  I guess the rest of the kin are all well as usual good by  tell Mary to come when she can."  

 On 15 May 1895, daughter, Annie Braden Spring, married William Laubach Horn in Lafayette, Indiana.

Annie Braden (Spring) Horn

William Laubach Horn

On 7 February 1900, Mary Jane and Henry's youngest child, Mary Virginia Spring, died of peritonitis while away at school in Oldenburg, Indiana.  She was 16 years old.  She was buried at Greenbush Cemetery in Lafayette.  When visiting the cemetery in November 2015, we were not able to find her tombstone.

The 1900 census for Lafayette, shows the family as:  Spring, Henry, head, born Apr 1840, age 60, married 35 years; Mary, wife, born Mar 1842, 58, married 35 years, 5 children, 3 living; Robert B., son,  born Jan 1876, 24, single, drug clerk.  From this we learn that Mary Jane and Henry had another child whose name we do not know and who died before 1900. 

On 7 July 1900, son Robert Burr married Marguerite M. Green in Lafayette.

Henry Spring died in Lafayette, Indiana on 8 April 1901.  He was about 62 years old. He was buried in Greenbush Cemetery, but we were not able to find his tombstone when we visited in November 2015.

There is no newspaper identified on this clipping of his obituary.

Mary Jane (Braden) Spring died at the home of her daughter, Annie, in Indianapolis on 9 February 1904.  She was 61 years old.  The cause of death was cancer.

  

Mary Jane was buried at Greenbush Cemetery in Lafayette, but like her husband and her daughter, Mary Virginia, her tombstone was not found when we visited the cemetery in November 2015.

The descendants of Mary Jane and Henry are one of the few lines of descent from Burr and Mary Braden that might lead us to descendants who are currently living.  Here is an outline of what I know so far:

Mary Jane Braden, b. 31 Mar 1842 at Jefferson, Clinton Co., IN, d. 9 Feb 1904 at the home of her daughter, Annie,, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN, bur. circa Feb 1904 at Greenbush Cemetery (Sec 7, Lot 8, Block 137), Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN

+Henry Spring, b. 1840 at IN, m. 27 Dec 1864 at Clinton Co., IN, d. 8 Apr 1901 at Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN, bur. circa Apr 1901 at Greenbush Cemetery, Sec 7, Box 137, Reg. #3787, Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN

├── Elizabeth D. Spring, b. 27 Jan 1866, d. 20 Mar 1943 at Burnett Nursing Home, South 9th St., Lafayette, Tippecanoe, IN, bur. at Spring Vale Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe, IN

│   +Henry T. Anderson, b. 1863, m. 3 Aug 1886 at Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co, IN, d. 1 May 1947, bur. at Spring Vale Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe, IN

│   └── infant Anderson, b. circa 1888, d. 1888

├── (--?--) Spring

├── Annie Braden Spring, b. 20 Apr 1871, d. 1944, bur. at Washington Park East Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN

│   +William Laubach Horn, b. 2 May 1869 at IN, m. 15 May 1895 at Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN, d. 1948, bur. at Washington Park East Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN

│   ├── William Spring Horn, b. 18 Mar 1896 at Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co, IN, d. 20 Oct 1968 at Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN, bur. Oct 1968 at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN

│   │   +Emma Belle Stutz, b. 1901 at OH, m. 15 Jul 1925 at Marion Co., IN, d. 30 May 1992

│   │   └── William S. Horn Jr, b. 1926, d. 1992

│   ├── Robert Francis Horn, b. 27 Apr 1900 at Tippecanoe Co, IN, d. 23 Dec 1973 at Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN, bur. at Helts Prairie Cemetery, Hillsdale, Vermillion Co., IN

│   │   +Mary Elizabeth White, b. 8 Jan 1905 at IN, m. 24 Jul 1937 at IN, d. 28 Nov 1999 at IN, bur. at Helts Prairie Cemetery, Hillsdale, Vermillion Co., IN

│   └── (--?--) Horn, b. 1902, d. 1902

├── Robert Burr Spring, b. 12 Jan 1876, d. May 1930 at Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN, bur. 6 May 1930 at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN

│   +Marguerite M. Green, m. 7 Jul 1900 at Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co, IN

│   └── Marguerite Ruth Spring, b. 10 Jun 1901

│       +Charles Robert Metzger, b. 1894, m. 14 Nov 1923 at Marion Co., IN, d. 23 May 1949 at Hollywood, CA, bur. 28 May 1949 at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN

│       ├── Elizabeth M Metzger, b. circa 1931 at IN, d. 1999

│       └── Mary Lou Metzger, b. 17 Jun 1934 at IN, d. 30 Mar 2011 at AZ

│   +Gertrude Butner, b. 1884, m. 1 May 1921 at Marion Co., IN, d. Aug 1974, bur. 17 Aug 1974 at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN

└── Mary Virginia Spring, b. 30 Jul 1883 at Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN, d. 7 Feb 1900 at Lafayette or Oldenburg, Tippecanoe Co., IN

From the above, it seems that Lizzie & her husband had one child that died as an infant.  Annie and her husband, William L. Horn, had two sons, William S. and Robert F. Horn.  I have found no children for Robert F., but have found one son for William S., William S. Horn, Jr. (1926-1992);  I have found no marriage or children for him at this point.  Robert B. Spring had a daughter, Marguerite, who married Charles Metzger and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Lou; I have not found marriages for either daughter and they were still shown with the surname Metzger at the time of death.  It seems unlikely that there are any living descendants in 2016.